the season-opener in 1973 at Riviera. His final PGA Tour win came at age 45 in 1978 at the Sammy Davis Jr.-Greater Hartford Open, which paid for his horse barn. His best finish in a major championship was just months earlier, a tie for second at the Masters, one stroke behind Gary Player. Funseth was in the last pairing on Sunday and had a three-under 69, but Player carded a record-tying 64 (−8) for his third green Funseth birdied the par-5 15th hole, but parred the last three, with a putt left on the lip at the 16th and another narrowly missing on the final hole to force a playoff. Funseth was known on tour as an avid fisherman, a passion shared by Johnny Miller, his next-door neighbor in Napa, and Jack Nicklaus. The three played in an exhibition golf match in Spokane in 1975, a rarity for Nicklaus at the time. Senior Tour Funseth became eligible to play on the Senior PGA Tour after reaching age 50 in April 1983. He had a great deal of immediate success, winning the unofficial Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf (team event with Roberto De Vicenzo) in early May, and a nine-stroke victory at his tour debut at the Hall of Fame Tournament three weeks later in North Carolina at Pinehurst No. 2. Funseth also finished second to Billy Casper in a sudden-death playoff at the U.S. Senior Open in July. Cancer His career on the over-50 tour was cut short by terminal cancer, attributed to exposure to asbestos at the navy yard in Bremerton in his late teens. Told by physicians in January 1984 that he had four months to live, Funseth continued to play well on tour, and returned to defend his team title at the Liberty Mutual Legends in late April. He competed in 17 events in 1984, with three runner-up finishes and nine in the top-10, despite losing weight and strength. Funseth won a match play event in October in Maine, besting Bob Toski 2-up in the final for a winner's share of $30,000. Although a non-tour event, it included most of the top senior players of the day. Death Funseth's condition declined in 1985 as his body weight was reduced to by September and his breathing assisted with oxygen. He died at age 52 at his home in Napa, California, beside the 12th hole of the Silverado Country